I've been extremely conscious of advertising lately. And yesterday, I was really hit with something that the media does: they present media we already enjoy, to get us to do something else.
Exhibit A: this car seat billboard.
Cinderella had the perfect fit, and so should your child in their car seat. I can tell you, at least from my experience, that I most definitely paid more attention to this billboard because Cinderella was on it. And I'm willing to bet children will notice and perhaps direct their parents attention there as well. Sort of brilliant.
Exhibit B: the Provo City Library.
My roommate, Jessi, loves books. Like more than anyone I've ever met. And last year she made me get a Provo Library Card. I thank her over and over again for forcing me. So she came back from the library last week with a backpack full of books and a massive tease: my love Nathan Fillion is in that library. Yesterday she enticed me into walking down there with her to take a picture with one of my favorite men. Here you have it:
Isn't he beautiful?! I found a new favorite place to read. And I think that was part of the library's intention when they put up these posters. They put up posters of fabulous men (and men were the ONLY ones I saw; no women, curious huh?) holding books, telling you to read. So they draw us in with the celebrities in order to get us to read more. Another brilliant campaign. And here are some of the other men we saw...and my roommate Kaitlyn :)
Hugh Jackman
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Jude Law & Robert Downey Jr.
Martin Freeman & The Hobbit
I see what they did here...So have you found any type of advertising that uses something many people love in order for viewers to do something else in return???
Yes, I'm extremely late to the party. But I'm in love.
Yep, Veronica Mars caught my eye when news of a Kickstarter Campaign for a VM movie surfaced a couple of weeks ago. I'd heard of it before, had no idea what it was about, and since I have never really been a fan of The CW, I thought it just wasn't down my alley. But, boy, was I WRONG!
It's like a fabulous mix between the main character of Nancy Drew, the big murder mystery of a friend of Pretty Little Liars, and the modern pop culture and banter of Gilmore Girls (with a single dad in the place of Lorelai).
Veronica Mars stars Kristen Bell as the title character who works for her dad Keith (Enrico Colantoni, the former town Sheriff turned Private Investigator. Her best friend Wallace (Percy Daggs III), her on-and-off-again boyfriend Duncan (Teddy Dunn), her dead best friend Lily's (Amanda Seyfried) boyfriend/other on-and-off-again boyfriend Logan (Jason Dohring), ex-gang member Weevil (Francis Capra) and computer savvy friend Mac (Tina Majorino) help her solve the big and large crimes around town. Season 1 is all about figuring out who murdered Lily...and the season 1 finale may have scared me half to death. Season 2 is all about who caused a bus full of HS students to drive off a cliff into the ocean...also quite a surprising conclusion. And now I'm just finishing up season 3, which revolves mainly around figuring out who the date rapist/head shaver is among the freshman class and the murder of the Dean of Hearst College.
The show ran from 2004-2007, being cancelled before it's time because of the big writer's strike of the time. They even began filming season 4 but had to stop.
I must say, I am now BEYOND excited for this movie, which begins production this summer. I think it's absolutely brilliant to turn the power over to the fans. If they really want a movie, and there's enough interest, enough money ($2 M was the minimum -- which was reached in less than 12 hours with only US donors) can be raised to put a proper end to a show that was ended before it should have.
So yes, you should go watch this show immediately if you haven't already. It'll be worth your while. I guarantee.
Also, congratulations to Kristen Bell & Dax Shepard on their new baby girl, Lincoln Bell Shepard!
Yes, I admit it. I'm obsessed with ABC's Castle if you couldn't tell already. So yes, I spend quite a bit of time on Twitter & Tumblr fan sites. And I find some amazing artists there! Seriously! I love how the media can inspire someone else to create. It's almost like a never ending cycle of creativity. From writers and actors to viewer and fan audiences who create incredible pieces of art or funny memes, that in turn occasionally get back to the writers and actors (you'd be surprised at how many show runners have admitted to getting ideas from fans on social networks).
There's a lot of bad out there in television and media, but I don't think we can underestimate the good impact it can have: bringing out talents and community.
I may have gone a bit overboard in the creative examples here for Castle, but I think these are some of the best! And I even threw in a Firefly one :)
Any fan art you've seen that you love for a favorite movie, TV show, or book??
So yesterday, Dr. Coyne deceived us by thinking we were skipping a lecture and moving on to look at media violence. She gave us free donuts and turned on Harry Potter. Now yes, at first glance, this sounds like a PERFECT class day. But then came the deception part. The lecture was actually on how the media leads to mindless munching and eventually obesity (not in all cases of course). Well played, Dr. Coyne, well played.
And I thought about it.
I thought about it, ironically, while munching from a bag of Frito Honey BBQ Twists and watching The Biggest Loser in my bed. Yeah, that's probably bad. Especially since it's usually a slice of pizza I'm eating while watching...which is even worse. I'm pretty sure that defeats the purpose of The Biggest Loser...
One time while mindlessy munching during The Biggest Loser, one of the trainers, Bob Harper, came on TV. He stared straight at us viewers and said, "Hey you on the couch! Get up! I want 20 pushups and 20 jumping jacks during commercial break! No more sitting around!"
Hello, massive slap in the face from Bob!
But it worked! I got up and did those workouts. But I haven't done it again since.
Perhaps it is because I am under a false sense of security. I'm small, I have a pretty high metabolism, I walk or bike everywhere, I was a dancer, a gymnast, a basketball player, I'm happy with the way I look...so I guess I just falsly assume that I will never be anywhere near as big as those Biggest Loser contestants and I can eat on...WRONG! I'm starting to clearly see the fault in my logic.
So, my snacks are now apples. Which I guess is at least one step in the right direction. And I'm going to be living on the third floor of a complex with no elevator as opposed to the first floor. I don't own a car and don't really plan on having one in the immediate future. I don't take elevators or escalators. I even once debated getting boxing gloves for a new fun activity. And a jump rope for calves. Or free weights or a stationary bike.
So why not let Bob & Jillian whip you into shape?! What would it hurt? It can only be good for you. Even though Jillian occasionally scares me out of my mind...
So think about what you're doing when you sit down to watch TV or a movie. Are you mindlessly munching? Plain air-popped popcorn or crazy greasy butter popcorn? Potato chips or an apple?
It's all around us. Magazines, TV shows, movies...everywhere you look there are images of men and women who demonstrate the socially constructed "ideal" in height, weight, and look. These images have a deep impact psychologically, especially on women and young girls.
I, myself, have not been immune to the effects of highly edited images of impossible standards in the media. I went running and did stair laps for tighter legs. I lodged my feet under the dresser to keep them grounded while I did sit-up after sit-up to flatten abs. I straightened my hair day after day to eliminate "nasty frizz." I was elated when i went down 3 pant sizes. Or when a Small size t-shirt was too big on me. Looking back, I know I was a tad overweight; not crazy, but still. After loosing some weight (not too much, I promise I'm completely healthy!), I am more confident in my own skin. But I don't think its because I'm skinnier. It's because I have the freedom now to be myself. To not worry about my body, and worry more about what actually matters.
There's this mirror in my apartment.
Almost every girl who comes into our apartment and sees it, comments on its apparent magical ability to make you thinner. Some neighbors have even threatened to steal it for their own. Now, I don't think it does anything special...but it's a daily reminder in my apartment of how girls want to constantly make themselves look (or at least feel) smaller.
So, with all the talk recently on media's influence on body image, I took to Twitter to ask the world their thoughts. My sample size was limited, of course, but I still think it gave an accurate perspective.
75% of girls have tried at least once to loose at least 5 pounds.
58% of girls placed at "beautiful, proportional face" as of most importance to them.
25% of girls have thought about hurting themselves due to a lack of self-esteem. Only 5% actually followed through.
30% said they don't think they will ever be comfortable in their bodies.
22% thought the ideal weight for a 20 year-old girl was between 90-120 pounds.
When asked what they would change on their bodies, most listed: weight, tighter thighs, smaller nose, straighter teeth, height, and a trimmer stomach.
When asked what celebrities they most wanted to look like, many listed Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson, Zooey Deschanel, and/or Lea Michele.
I was deeply saddened by these results. You hear about these types of things all the time, but to see it personally in people you care about is terrible. And especially from a gospel perspective, it is extremely sad. These girls are beautiful daughters of God, created in His image. No matter what they look like, they are loved. The media just seems to get in the way of them recognizing this love.
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And now on to something brand new that happened today on Twitter. If you know me at all, you know I'm in love with the show Castle on ABC, and its fabulous actors Nathan Fillion & Stana Katic. A new photoshoot spread came out today of Stana. She is admittedly a very beautiful woman and a great soul. But today's pictures don't all look like her. They are her, but they're not her. We see her on TV week after week, where there is no photoshop. She's crazy fit and crazy tall, but this photo below in particular is not the Stana we know of television.
She's skinny, but she's not THAT skinny. Some things have definitely been enhanced...And where did any resemblance of pores go?! You could try FOREVER to have that creamy creamy skin look, but it ain't gonna happen outside the world of Photoshop. Yet again, for my readers, I LOVE Stana. She's a fabulous person and a great beauty. This is the only photo I have a problem with, and I feel the other pictures from this spread depict her more as she really is, minus the hair extensions and the disappearing pores. But who knows, I've never actually met her in real life...
Most people I follow on Twitter are also great fans of Castle, so most everything I read today in social media was about this photoshoot. I find it incredibly sad that so many girls feel like "potatoes" in comparison to Stana (or any other beautiful woman they come across). I've read many tweets with the acronym KMS (I'm apparently ancient so I had to Google it to figure out what it meant). It means "kill myself." That hurts me to read. And from what I've heard of Stana's fabulous and humble personality, I think it would hurt her to read those words from them as well. A ton of girls on Twitter don't even have pictures of themselves as their profile photo--they have Stana (or another actress).
It's a sad, sad world when you start to look down on yourself in comparison to others. These women you see are just like you. Honestly, they are. They are normal people who happen to act or model. They are not super human. They do not always look put together. They can be silly. They make mistakes. They do in fact have pores and sometimes even pimples. They are beautiful.
BUT SO ARE YOU.
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Dove did and still does a fabulous campaign to get the word out there that the media and photoshop are poisoning our minds and lowering our self esteem. You should love yourself and love your imperfections.
Remember, you were created in the image of God. You are beautiful. Your imperfections make you unique. You don't want to be the "cookie-cutter" image. You are beautiful. Just the way you are (thanks for the assist Bruno Mars).
I am the Relief Society teacher in my LDS (Mormon) single's ward at BYU. Today's lesson was titled "The Grand Destiny of the Faithful." When I first read this chapter out of the Lorenzo Snow handbook, the first thing that came to mind was Hercules.
Yes, Hercules.
So watch this clip of one of my favorite Disney movies ever, and think about how much it relates to the gospel and what we have to look forward to after this life.
So there you have it. The connection is clear. Hercules leaves his earthly parents to go to the temple of his father to figure out who he is, where he came from, and where he is going. He dreams of a far off place where a warm welcome will be waiting for him. And every mile, is worth his (our) while.
If we continue on in this life, striving to be faithful & strong, we will be given the warm welcome of our Father in Heaven as He invites us to stay and live with Him again. I can just imagine the reception we will receive and the joy we will experience.
You CAN go the distance.
Any other Disney movies you know of that have strong gospel connections?
Anyone else watch this fantastically cheesy Nickelodeon campfire scary story show?? It ran from 1991-1996 with a brief return from 98-99 and watching it as a 5 year old was quite scary for me. And now? Easy breezy.
What I find pretty cool about Are You Afraid of the Dark? is all the celebrities who once guest-starred on the show: Will Friedle (Boy Meets World), Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina, Clarissa Explains it All, Melissa & Joey), Tia & Tamara Mowry (Sister Sister), and the best one, Ryan Gosling (The Notebook, Crazy Stupid Love). They were all around 10 at the time.
The show followed The Midnight Society, a group of kids who met up in the middle of the night to each tell ghost stories. Looking back on them now, they're not scary at all, not one bit. But through the eyes of a 5 year old, AHHHHH!!!
If you're up for a "scare" check out the episode posted above, "The Tale of the Dangerous Soup."
Moving on, when I was around 12 maybe, I was flipping through the channels on TV and came across a genre I love: mystery and horror. Don't ask why a little girl of 12 loved horror...I'm not sure myself. But anyway, I stumbled upon the TV edited version of I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. Plus, who doesn't love a little Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddy Prinze Jr.?! And HOLY CRAP I was scared out of my mind. One scene has especially stayed with me. This one right here:
The murderer killer guy LOCKED her in the tanning bed to toast her to her death! Now, I've never felt any inclination to use a tanning bed, but after this movie, I will NEVER set foot in a tanning salon. NEVER.
I akin the seriesof I Know What You Did Last Summer to an old school Pretty Little Liars. It's got all the same stuff--a shadowy killer, notes left everywhere, killing anyone who knows too much...great stuff right there.
So I took a break from scary movies for awhile. And I thought I'd stick with Lifetime movies, those couldn't do much harm could they?
WRONG!
I give you 2006's Glass House: The Good Mother. This movie starts off really sweet when Eve (Angie Harmon) and Raymond Goode adopt brother and sister pair Ethan & Abby Snow, about a year after their own son died. They live in this fabulous lake front mansion and all is well. Until Eve proves to be deranged, locks the kids in the house, and tries to kill them. Happy, huh?
I don't even remember what ended up happening. I'm pretty sure the little girl escaped though...I don't have the courage to watch it again to find out.
Lesson learned: do not trust Lifetime movies just because they're Lifetime movies. You will be scared (I was 15) and you will no longer be able to look at any pictures of Angie Harmon or watch her in Rizzoli & Isles for fear she will stab you to death.
And lastly, when I was 17 and fresh out of junior year of high school (like literally, we had just finished the last day of school), my friends and I went to go see Prom Night starring Brittany Snow, in theaters. Another lesson learned: do not watch scary movies in a massive theater, the huge screen is wayyyyyy too big to hide from. And why I ended up buying it on DVD when it came out, I have no idea. To this day, I'm pretty sure I've only SEEN the movie once...I peek every now and then, but mainly, I'll just listen. I find it much easier to listen than to watch.
But anyway, the scariest parts of that movie, for me, were:
1. she closed the folding mirror and the killer was there standing behind her!
2. she got into bed with her boyfriend that night, thinking she was safe, and found her boyfriend DEAD next to her!
3. she opens the closet and the killer just slowly appears from inside it!
4. one second, the killer is standing and staring at her from across the street, a bus passes in front of him, and then he's gone!
5. I really hate blood spatter.
Well, now that I have elevated my heart rate just thinking about these movies, I'm going to go watch something happy to forget about them...even though I love the thrill...
I LOVE Disney princesses and I always will. But some new realizations came to me recently.
Please don't get me wrong. I seriously LOVE Disney movies. This is just a different perspective aka devil's advocate.
If Disney were real life...
Jasmine--Aladdin
Jasmine teaches us that your political worth is reduced by your marriageability. And relationships with dirty street beggars are good. Her man Aladdin teaches us that men need to be charming, good looking, and appear to be rich and famous.
Snow White--Snow White
Snow White lived alone with 7 men. Hmmm... Another life lesson from Snow? At first it may seem terrible, being so beautiful that other women get jealous and try to kill you with poisoned fruit...but...once your beauty captures the eye of a man, he'll save you.
Mulan--Mulan
The only way this girl could be of any help was to disguise herself as a man.
Cinderella--Cinderella
Cinderella lied and snuck out at night to go to a party. She resigned herself to work under her evil stepmother's rule forever without taking any action to improve her living conditions. However, if you wish hard enough, a fairy god mother will eventually appear and make you fabulous. A prince will save you, not because you're a hard worker, but because you're gorgeous and you wear glass shoes.
Ariel--The Little Mermaid
Where to begin with this one?! Apparently making a deal with the devil (Ursula) is not all that bad... And getting what you truly desire (a man), requires you to give something up (your voice, etc.). And of course, you need to completely change your physical appearance in order to get the man.
Aurora--Sleeping Beauty
I guess you're supposed to marry the creeper who kisses you while you're sleeping... She didn't even have to be awake for a man to fall in love with her...just needed to be beautiful.
Belle--Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney princess movie--mainly because Belle reads...and then of course Lumiere & Cogsworth & little Chip (why did he not have a cut on his head when he became a human again??). But there are some massive red flags flying here Belle. First of all, the Beast LOCKED YOUR FATHER IN A BASEMENT!!!! And then he held you hostage! HELLO!!! Nothing says "I love you" like house arrest! Beauty and the Beast teaches us that even if you're abused all the time, if you love him enough, he'll change into a handsome prince with a rose for you...and a massive library.
And those are just the core princesses.
What about Simba taking back his territory through force and death in The Lion King?
And just ask Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame if the ugly guy ever gets the girl...
Pinocchio is a liar.
Robin Hood stole for a living.
Tarzan walked around practically naked.
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This was news to me this week, but back in 2010, Disney announced that they are no longer making princess/fairy tale movies anymore because they "alienate male audiences," and little girls "no longer dream of becoming royalty."
Tangled was its last. In fact, Tangled was SUPPOSED to be called Rapunzel Unbraided but in order to increase the audience, they changed the name and focused on a male hero.It is even evident in their marketing schemes. Just look at how little Rapunzel is actually in this trailer... And I think it worked. I know a lot of guys who love Tangled and will sing every word. My roommate and I even built a fort in our living room and invited a bunch of people over to watch...it was me, her, and three guys... Congratulations Disney, you captured the male population.
So there you have it, the literal lessons of Disney and its princesses. You can still really enjoy these movies...just don't think too hard about what the situations would actually be like...
I say yet again, I LOVE Disney princesses :) There are amazing lessons in them as well!
And to see just how much Disney has changed their focus a little bit with their newer princess movies (Princess & The Frog, Tangled, etc.) and applies more to modern girls, check out this awesome video Disney put out awhile back.
